


drawing hope from your smile

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: lou does the aos advent 2018 [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AOS Advent 2018 (Marvel), F/M, Kind of angsty, Post Season 5, Post-Framework Universe (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 11:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16831522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: elena wants to help mack deal with the loss of hope but isn't quite sure how to do that.





	drawing hope from your smile

Elena stares at the snapped pencil in her hand, wondering if it’s time to just give up. The more frustrated she gets, the more she loses control of her hands - and the more pencils snap between fingers still not quite used to delicate work, the more frustrated she becomes.

She knows that’s not the only reason she’s hesitant, knows that she can’t blame a sketchbook full of rough drafts on her hands alone.

It’s her heart that’s the problem, fighting herself on the matter, ready to break in those moments when Mack falls so quiet she can only guess what he’s thinking of; still, she cannot finish a single one of the drawings, her heart clenching painfully at the sight of round cheeks and innocent smiles.

_ That’s not how she wore her hair _ _,_ Elena will tell herself as she starts over, or  _ her eyes aren’t right, _ or any of a dozen other excuses.

She knows full well she won’t get every detail right, having only seen the little girl briefly, in what feels like a lifetime ago. For Mack it really is, a whole nother life spent with his daughter, watching her grow, hearing her laugh, every memory as real to him as he is himself. And he’s stuck somewhere between those lives, with a grief he feels he has no right to.

This is the only thing Elena can think of that might ease his pain, or at least make him allow himself to actually feel it. But she’s afraid of overstepping. She can’t even begin to imagine the depth of his loss.

She picks up her last attempt, trailing a finger across the mostly finished piece. She can’t say if the sound that escapes her is a sob, or just a sigh of frustration. She’s given Hope Mack’s kind eyes. That must be right, surely?

Elena’s so engrossed in the image of the girl smiling up at her from the page, it takes her a moment to realise the door has opened and closed.

“Daisy tagged in so I could get out early for once,”Mack says, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it by the door. He smiles at the sight of her surrounded by her art supplies. She hasn’t drawn much since she’d gotten her new arms.“What are you working on, mi amor?”

Being too slow for anything isn’t a concept Elena is familiar with anymore, but she’s so stumped for a reply that he’s already picked up one of the sketches by the time she starts gathering them up to hide them away. She lets them drop back down, staring at Mack as he stares at the picture, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She used to fiddle with her fingers, but it doesn’t bring the same relief anymore.

“Mack,”she finally says into the heavy silence.“Say something.”

He tears his gaze away from the picture, eyes shining. She can see his throat work as he swallows, once, twice, not managing to form words. Instead, he holds out a hand to her - the hand not clutching Hope’s portrait like it’s a lifeline.

She steps into his arms, rubbing soothing circles on his back, muttering soft nothings as his shaking breaths turn into sobs, turn back into even breathing eventually.

“Thank you,”he whispers into her hair, pressing a kiss against the top of her head before letting go of her. His voice is still husky but he’s smiling as he takes another look at the picture.“You got her smile just right.”

He crosses their room, stopping in front of the corkboard they’ve stuck mementos and pictures up on, hesitating for a split second and turning to look at Elena.“Is it alright if I -”

Mack can’t finish the sentence before she’s already at his side, pinning the picture up on the wall herself.


End file.
